Two More GOP Seats Up for Grabs

(NEWSER) - House Democrats, who held a 36-seat lead going in, beefed up their advantage tonight and appeared likely to keep padding it as results continued to pour in. Christopher Shays, the lone Republican in the New England delegation, was the highest-profile victim of an emerging landslide, but John Murtha of Pennsylvania appeared to have dodged the bullet he fired at his own foot by calling his district "racist." At least seven seats flipped in the East, while just one moved into the GOP column. More»

Many members of sect, concentrated in Ohio, Pa., voted Bush in '04

(NEWSER) - With John McCain now focused on winning Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, he could get help from a group that has traditionally avoided politics: the Amish. When they do vote, Amish are thought to be 100% Republican because of their views on abortion, Benjamin Sarlin writes in the Daily Beast; George W. Bush was able to mobilize the reclusive Amish vote in 2004. More»

VP candidate has some in Congress worrying less about ugly November

(NEWSER) - Congressional Republicans nervous about their own election chances are encouraged by the thought of a Sarah Palin-fueled boost to the GOP’s overall image, Real Clear Politics reports. Polls conducted since she was picked as John McCain’s running mate show a generic Republican congressional candidate trailing a generic Democrat by only 3.6%, narrowing a lead that has held at 12% or more since July. More»

State's large black population expected to seal victory today

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama heads into today's Mississippi primary as the favorite in the last vote before Pennsylvania's on April 22. Mississippi has the largest percentage of African-American voters in the country—about half of the Democratic electorate is black—and the Obama campaign is expected to to add the state to its list of Southern successes, reports US News & World Report. More»

Front-runner racks up four easy wins to secure the GOP nomination

(NEWSER) - John McCain officially clinched the Republican nomination for president tonight, the Washington Post reports. Mike Huckabee conceded after McCain racked up easy wins in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island to surpass the necessary number of delegates—1,191. He is expected to go to the White House tomorrow to collect an endorsement from President Bush. More»